1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to multimedia content; and, more particularly, to packetized delivery of digital video.
2. Related Art
The horizon of television and video program consumption today is reshaped by the presence of the vast and highly developed Internet backbone, with high bit transmission rates and low transmission error rates. Hence, most consumers of television and video programs today opt for delivery of television programs, live or on demand video programs via the Internet. This is cost effective and reaches most remote regions of the world. In addition, consumers may access television programs and video programs produced and broadcast anywhere around the world. Much of this video content is deliberately produced for consumers who use Internet as the medium for access of the video content with much of the video content produced by the consumers themselves in and around their homes.
Considering these changes many Internet service providers and other Internet based service providers today deliver video content ranging from live television broadcasts to video content on demand from around the world on a monthly rental or pay per view basis. This video content may include movies, music programs as well as other entertainment related video programs. Many of the “content providers” incorporate data rights management to limit the use of the video content by the consumers.
The consumers may receive the content at home in multiple localities such as living room, kitchen, bedrooms and children's rooms as well as in small commercial locations such as restaurants or cafes. In these areas where video content is delivered to multiple recipients, a source device, such as an access point, delivers the video content to the plurality of recipient devices either wirelessly or via wires. The recipient devices may receive either video program Internet protocol packets from the access points or de-packetized video program Internet protocol packet contents. This “video stream” may include encoded video frames, e.g., MPEG video frames that include independent and predictive video frames, e.g., backward predictive and/or forward predictive video frames.
Upon receiving these video program Internet protocol packets or independent, reference video frames, the recipient devices respond either by acknowledgement of receipt or negative acknowledgment of non-receipt. In case of negative acknowledgment of non-receipt, the access point resends the video program Internet protocol packets or independent, reference video frames. Each of the recipient devices independently responds by acknowledgement of receipt or negative acknowledgment of non-receipt and the access point responds in turn by resending video program Internet protocol packets or independent, reference video frames upon negative acknowledgment of non-receipt. Such operations may cause unacceptable network congestions. These and other limitations and deficiencies associated with the related art may be more fully appreciated by those skilled in the art after comparing such related art with various aspects of the present invention as set forth herein with reference to the figures.